9 Common Life Regrets of Older People

If today was the last day of your life, do you think you’d have any regrets or before you died?

No matter how wise, successful or accomplished you might be, chances are, you probably answered yes. Why? Well, because it’s an inevitable part of life to fail and fall short at times. And with those mistakes comes the all too human desire to turn back time and do things differently the second time around. 

Fortunately for us, however, we don’t always have to make the mistake to learn the lesson. We can always turn to the older and wiser generations who have come before us and reflect on what their personal experiences have taught them. 

With that said, here are the 9 most common regrets people tend to have as they look back on their lives:

1. Caring too much what other people think

Perhaps the biggest reason why so many of us find ourselves unhappy and unsatisfied with our lives is because we spend so much of it caring about what other people think, only to realize at the end of the day that it doesn’t even matter! Because no matter how hard you try, you can never please everyone. So stop worrying about what other people will think and just do whatever you think is right for you. It’s your life after all, not anyone else’s.

2. Not following their passion in life

One of the most baffling things about human nature is that the more we want something, the more afraid we become of trying to go after it. There’s always going to be a lot of reasons why we stop ourselves from following our passion in life. Maybe it’s too much work, it’s too risky, or it’ll take too long. But you’re always going to regret letting that fear of failure win and sacrificing your dreams just because it’s easier to settle for less, to settle for something more stable, practical, and comfortable. 

3. Working too much

Another common regret people tend to have as they get older is working too much and not spending more time on the things that really matter. Whether it’s a hobby you love, seeing more of the world, or spending time with friends and family, all of these things can add so much more richness and meaning to our lives than just another day of slaving away at our jobs to make a few more bucks. 

4. Not saying how they truly feel

Ever liked someone but never made a move, only to later find out they actually felt the same way? Or stayed in an unhappy relationship or a fake friendship just because you were too afraid to tell the truth about how you really felt? Keeping our true feelings to ourselves. no matter how well our intentions might be, will only cost us heartache later down the line because of all the “what if” scenarios we start to make up in our minds.

5. Not standing up for themselves more

While it might seem like the better choice to just keep our hurt feelings to ourselves instead of starting up some trouble, over time this can turn into a habit of letting people walk all over you. And the more often you do it, the harder it will be to stand up for yourself. So don’t let your desire to be liked or your fear of confrontation outweigh your need for self-respect. Stand up for yourself next chance you get or you just might live to regret it.

6. Not believing in themselves enough

Not believing in yourself enough can lead to a lot of wasted opportunities in the future. It can make you say “no” when you really should’ve said “yes”; it can keep you from really pushing yourself and discovering your true potential; and it can keep a lot of doors closed that would’ve let a lot more joy, pride, and fulfillment in your life.

7. Not taking better care of themselves

When we’re still young and healthy, it’s easy to sacrifice our health and prioritize other things more. Whether it’s our work, our money, or our fun, we sometimes neglect our diet, sleep, and exercise. But the more we fail to take care of ourselves and our well-being, the more health problems and complications we will most likely face in the future.

8. Not taking more risks

The truth is, it’s only human for us want to stay in our comfort zones and prefer what’s safe and predictable over something new and uncertain, no matter how exciting it might be. But no one ever accomplished anything great by just treading the water! So if you want to accomplish something worthwhile in your life, you need to be open to taking more risks, putting yourself out there, and living a life filled with more adventure.

9. Not living more in the moment

When you’re always busy and in a hurry, constantly chasing deadlines and setting new goals for yourself, it can be easy to lose sight of just how precious and short-lived our time on this Earth really is. As the famous movie quote from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off goes, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and take a look every once and a while, you might miss it.” So don’t get so caught up planning your future or reminiscing about the past that you forget to live in the moment.

So, do you relate to any of the things we’ve mentioned here? Would you agree that if you continued to do any of these things, you’d definitely live to regret it? There’s always going to be lessons we wish we’d learned sooner, or things in our lives, our choices, or ourselves that we could change. But as the inspiring Maya Angelou quote goes, “Stop thinking in terms of ‘If only I knew better.’ You didn’t know then what you knew now. “All we can do is our best. Then, when we know better, we do better.”